Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image processing technique for providing an effect such as a shadow image to digital image data.
Description of the Related Art
There is an image processing method by which the amount of information of input image data is decreased to emphasize a silhouette of subject. For example, an information processing circuit is proposed to generate a cutout-style image by performing filling based on outlines extracted from input image data (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-180643).
However, a case where two or more subjects overlap each other is not considered in the processing discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open. No. 2011-180643. Specifically, in a case where outlines extracted from overlapping subjects cross each other, there is a possibility that the subjects cannot be discriminated from each other. This possibility is conspicuous especially in a case where a shadow style image is generated simply by omitting outlines and performing the filling to express the silhouette of a subject.